Driven steering wheel unit



Feb. 3, 1942. R. c. WALLACE DRIVEN STEERING- WHEEL UNIT Filed Sept. 2l,1940 TOR Patented Feb. 3, 1942 DRIVEN STEERING WHEEL UNIT v Robert C.Wallace, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Marmon-Herrington Company,Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application September21, 1940, Serial No. 357,673

3 Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a driven steering wheelstructure of such character that its supporting bearings may be adjustedby means of a readily accessible adjusting nut, yet of such constructionthat, in case of breakage of any part of the driving shaft, the wheelwill remain upon its swinging bearing sleeve.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical axial section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the retaining element; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the plane of Fig. 1 on an enlargedscale.

In the drawing I indicates the shell of the main portion of the axleprovided, at its outer end, with a ball shaped housing II over which issleeved the cup I2 of the wheel bearing sleeve I3, the part I2-I3 beingpivotally associated with the part II, to swing about a substantiallyvertical axis, by suitable trunnion bearings I4. The wheel I5 iscomposed, in part, of a hub element I6 having an axial sleeve II whichis projected into sleeve I3 and supported therein by bearings Iii-I8.The bore of sleeve II is splined to receive the splines I9 of shaft 20which is the outer element of a universal-velocity joint 2l whichconnects the inner end of shaft 2l) and the outer end of shaft 22 whichis mounted in the casing II) and connected at its inner end to adifferential (not shown).

The outer end of shaft 26 is threaded to receive I the adjusting nut 23which engages hub It.

Shaft carries an annular collar 2li which engages a washer 25. The innerrace I8 of the inner bearing I8 is sleeved upon the inner end of sleeveI'I and interposed between this inner race and washer 25 is a ring 25which is sleeved upon the inner end of sleeve I'I. Ring 26, at its outerend, is provided with a counterbored notch 2'I adapted to receive alocking ring 23 seated in an annular notch in the outer surface ofsleeve II near its inner end, said locking ring overlying the inner endof race I8. Notch 21 has an axial extent enough greater than the axialdimension A of locking ring 28 to equal or slightly exceed the amount ofaxial adjustment of race I8 sufcient to compensate the maximum wear ofbearin I8.

t will be noted that if nut 23 be entirely removed from the outer end ofshaft 20, the wheel I5 will, nevertheless, be axially retained on sleeveI3 so long as locking ring 28 remains in place and that this lockingring can only be withdrawn by first separating the trunnion `connectionbetween parts Il and I2 and then withdrawing shaft 20 toward the right,Fig. 1.

As a result of this construction, necessary adjustments of the bearingsI8 may, at all times, be readily accomplished by adjustment of nut 23;yet, if, for any reason, there should be a breakage of either shaft 20or shaft 22 the wheel would not come off of sleeve I3 and consequentlyall danger of the wheel being thrown from its bearings, as a result ofbreakage of the driving shaft, is eliminated.

The locking ring 28 may be merely a one-piece split ring to be sprunginto its notch in sleeve II, but I prefer to make this locking ring oftwo nearly semi-annular parts, as shown in Fig. 2, the notch 21 in ring2B serving to retain these two parts in the notch in sleeve I 'I so longas the several parts remain in their normal positions.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle, an axle element, a wheel hub, bearings interposedbetween said axle element and wheel hub of such character that axialmovement of the wheel hub relative to the axle element will effectradial adjustment of said bearings, a rotatable shaft Within the axleelement and non-rotatively associated with the wheel hub to causerotation thereof and projected through said hub, a hub-engaging elementon the outer end of said shaft and axially adjustable thereon, and meansother than the aforesaid'hub-engaging element limiting outwardwithdrawal of the hub from the axle element.

2. In a vehicle, an axle element, a wheel hub, bearings interposedbetween said axle element and wheel hub of such character that axialmovement of the wheel hub relative to the axle element will effectradial adjustment of said bearings, a rotatable shaft within the axleelement and non-rotatively associated with the wheel hub to causerotation thereof and projected through said hub, a hub-engaging elementon the outer end of said shaft and axially adjustable thereon, and aremovable retainer attached to the inner end of the wheel hub andengaging the adjacent bearing to limit outward axial movement of saidhub.

3. In a vehicle, an axle element, a wheel hub, bearings interposedbetween said axle element and wheel hub of such character that axialmovement of the wheel hub relative to the axle element will effectradial adjustment of said bearings, a rotatable shaft within the axleelement and non-rotatively associated with the Wheel hub to causerotation thereof and prothe shaft, said overlying ring, split ring, andnner end of the wheel hub being so associated that the inner end of thewheel hub has a limited freedom of axial movement relative to said over-5 lying ring.

ROBERT C. WALLACE.

